Listing a Vietnam homestay on Trip.com: eBooking, how commission works and getting paid

HostBooking · Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 7 min read

Trip.com, part of the same group as Ctrip, lets properties manage rooms, rates and bookings in eBooking. Commission is set in your contract: either a fixed rate, or a tiered rate that rises with the room nights you sell each month. Under its common contract template, Trip.com collects from the guest at booking and pays you by virtual card or bank transfer.

Which homestays fit Trip.com

Trip.com belongs to Trip.com Group, the same group as Ctrip, the largest booking channel for Chinese travellers. The international Trip.com site sells to guests in many other countries too. If your area sees many Chinese visitors, Trip.com is worth considering. For a homestay hosting mostly Vietnamese guests, it usually brings fewer bookings than Booking.com or Agoda.

eBooking and signing up

1. Register the property on Trip.com’s partner site with property details, room types, photos and rates.
2. Sign the distribution agreement with Trip.com: commission, payment model and payout account are all set there.
3. Once approved, manage availability, rates and bookings in eBooking, on the web or in the app.
4. Enter payout details correctly: virtual card or bank transfer, with an account in the business’s name.

Write room names, descriptions and house rules in clear English; foreign guests read either that or a translation, and short sentences are misunderstood less. Foreign guests also need a stay notice to the police like everyone else.

How commission works

Trip.com publishes no general rate, and we found no reliable source to quote a percentage range (11/2026). Trip.com Group’s annual report describes two kinds of arrangement with hotels:

In Trip.com’s distribution agreement template, the percentage is left blank per property, and commission is charged on the room rate excluding taxes but including fees. The template also lets the commission be changed through the partner platform, so check the current rate now and then. Once you have a figure, put it into the OTA price calculator under Other to get a list price.

How guests pay and how you get paid

Under the template, Trip.com collects the guest’s prepayment at booking. You receive your share by virtual card (charged on your POS terminal) or bank transfer, depending on the payment details you gave. Some properties may also offer pay-at-hotel rates; then you collect from the guest and commission is handled separately. The exact payout schedule is in your contract and eBooking; we found no reliable public source for a number of days.

• Virtual card: needs a POS that takes international cards, and someone who charges it by the deadline on the booking.
• Bank transfer: check each batch against your booking list; one transfer can cover several bookings.
• If your contract is in a foreign currency, record the exchange rate and the dong you actually received to know the true channel cost.

Cancellations and no-shows

Cancellation terms attach to each rate plan you open in eBooking. A non-refundable rate protects you against no-shows but appeals less; many owners run a flexible rate alongside a cheaper non-refundable one. See homestay cancellation policy for clear cancellation deadlines.

Keeping calendars in step

Trip.com availability is edited in eBooking or through a channel manager. If Trip.com provides an iCal link for your property, connect it both ways; if not, close the room in eBooking as soon as another channel books an upcoming night. On every channel, tonight and tomorrow are the nights most likely to clash, because the other side may not have updated yet.

Pros and cons

• Pros: reach Chinese travellers through the Ctrip ecosystem; Trip.com collects payment up front.
• Cons: commission is not public, and tiered deals make cost vary by month; descriptions need careful translation; the payout schedule lives in the contract.

Where HostBooking helps

• Reads Trip.com booking emails once you forward them: the booking gets the Trip.com ID, dates and guest name. An email that says pay at hotel marks it as collected by the property; otherwise as collected by Trip.com.
• Records commission on each booking: with a tiered deal, enter the rate actually applied that month so channel reports show the right cost.
• Pulls calendars every 5 minutes from an iCal link if you have one, and recognises Trip.com links to tag the right channel.
• Your own booking website for returning guests, with VietQR deposits and no percentage taken by HostBooking.

OTA email reading is included from the Basic plan (see pricing). See features or sign up.